The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-24
A BIT OF GLASS.
The Strange Pathetic Will Of a
Luckless Refugee.

or IGOuDlc Is ONcTNOGh-lun1e
are sound-heat all right-go to the
mountains for a months shooting
Rough it for four weeks and you are
safe for years of work"
Ny physician pronounced this ulti-
matum and left me. His advice fell in
with my inclination. For somewhat
over a fortnight l had been ''roughing
it'' in the mountains in the interior of
Virginia To lose my bearings so COM
pletely seemed an absurdity in one ac-
custOmed to long hunting expeditions,
nevertheless all day long | had seen
neither mOuntaineer nor mountaincer' S
cabin. 1t was keen and chilly-an at
mOsphere conducive TO n relish for the
most homely of supperS. Tired, hungry
and baffied by the incomprehensible
topography of those great ridges, nv
perplexity deepened into the gloomy
certainty of a supperless bed under the
pines. 1t frightened suddenly when a
tall man in homespun, with an ancient
gun upon his shoulder, slowly crossed
the rayine below me. a moment later
| was beside him.
Hits bout dark now, stranger
you just come home wild me-Joe
Craddeck. of Fodder Top Ridge
faint more'n couple NV mile furder
on" he Hospitality urged.
That was how it happened that sat
down that first time before Joe Grad
decks small log cabin.
A fire blazing on the hearth filled
the low ceiled room with a red glow of
pitch pine.
1--WE hev strangers tOrbul ofting,"
my host remarked. 'Howsumever.
the last stranger es come erlong took
sick en- died. That wur on'y jes' when
Dildy's a baby gal, kase he give her
a buzzom pin wid glass bead in hit.
Dunno ez l could call her mine wen
hit wur savin' fur Dildy's glass
sinner"
Luck was against him." I said,
stretching my feet to the blaze. Did
he meet with an accident?"
"Jes' so, stranger, the accident wur,
he done tux sick Ell died. 'Twan't
long ago. Dildy's growed up sence.
Heah's Dildy now"
He mOtioned over his shoulder with
out looking around. A girl of sixteen
stepped into the doorway and hesi-
tated shyly. while she toyed with her
long plaits of black hair. Two things
riveted my attention instantly. They
evoked a sudden, irrepressible desire to
know more of them. They were
Dildy's face and the pin fastening the
collar of Dildy's blue cotton dress.
The one was undeniablY beautiful
the other simply 4 mystery In this OBJ
scure cabin. 1t was nothing less than
one of the finest diamonds l had ever
beheld. Tongues of fro seemed to
dart and scintillate in weird brilliancy
from the magnificent solitaire. Some
traces of amazed curiosity and doubt
HAY have been reflected upon my fea-
lures, for the mountaineer said:
'.Hit's my Dildy, stranger. by way
of introduction. zen l mind me that ar
buzzom pin is the one the Cun'el gin
her."
"Will YOU show it to me?" asked,
in bland. persuasive tone, after Dildy
had shaken hands with me in shy cor
diality.
owned to intense curiosity, not un-
mixed with some misgivings. The spot
was certainly isolated. The man Grad
deck might be any thing from the unso-
phisticated mountaineer to the crafty,
inscriptions highwaymaa. Closer in
spection satisfied me that the stone was
ION COLOR" of remarkable brilliancy
and set in old-fashioned style. The first
glance showed me that it was of great
value
at is beauty" l said. cautiously.
"Mebbe so; Dildy likes hit" careless
" retorted Craddeck, putting at his
corncob pipe. I'd a chunked hit in
the Goals long ago eff the Cun'el es
died hadn't guv that ar thing to Dildy.
Hits Gurus how that ar bit Nv glass kin
shine"
''Do you know who the stranger
WASP"
Dunno eS l ever thought to ask
him. Wife, she mOut a done hit. I'd
jes' come home from follerin' Jackson
an Early four yeah NV fightin' in the
valley en- round Richmond. Plowin'
On pitchin' corn hedn't KEN handy,
like handlin' muskit. en-, KEN to
think NV hit, tain't never been handy
sense" he added, meditatively.
"Was the stranger soldier in the
Southern army?"
Dunno rs he wur-the Cun'el he'd
drawed on feller en- kilt him, en-
somehow he was pOw'ful sorry fur it.
l fotched him home one night jes' es
done you, en- he never went out no
mo-. Mary tended him, but the
Cun'el want tryin' to git well. Iwur
hankerin' arter that track of brush
ground 'longside the Piney ridge fur a
cattle range. Hits on'y a thousand
acre bit Nv Ian, en- turn for sale. but
hain't got no higher to gittin' nit, en-
that's wen DildY's a toddler. The
Cun'el seemed like he hoped me r.
want that ar range some day. .Hit'l
be wuth fortin, Joe,' says hei git hii